


ripples

by Serie11



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fluff, Gen, Nature, Peace, Picnics, Urban Fantasy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-05
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2021-01-23 12:48:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21320449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Serie11/pseuds/Serie11
Summary: In the year that she has been here, Razen has caused many changes across the valley. Even so, some traditions still stand.
Relationships: Abigail & Sam & Sebastian (Stardew Valley), Abigail/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 45
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	ripples

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SeaOfBones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaOfBones/gifts).

It’s a sunny day, and Razen lifts her head to soak in the spring sun. It’s been a long winter, long and cold days filled with hard work. She’d bought several cows before the snows had really set in, and had only just scraped by with the need to buy feed for them and the chickens throughout winter. While the snow prevents any crops from growing, keeping on top of everything that the animals need was more than enough to keep her busy.

“It’s such a nice day,” Abigail says cheerfully. She’s holding a picnic basket, the handle tucked into the crook of her elbow. Razen looks at her, and can’t help but feel a smile pull at the corners of her mouth. Abigail is wearing the ribbon that she gave her as a gift earlier in the year, and the colour looks gorgeous against her hair. The entire time that she’s known her, Razen has never seen her roots come in. Abigail had admitted once that the reason she first picked up magic was because she wanted purple hair, but it was too annoying to keep dyeing it every few weeks. It’s as good of a reason to learn magic as anything, Razen supposes.

“It is a nice day,” Razen agrees. “Do you know any good places down by the lake? I’ve been all around the area, but not for a picnic before.”

“There’s a place that we normally sit,” Abigail says. They round the bend on the path, and the mountain lake comes into view before them. “See, they’re already there.”

Sure enough, Sam and Sebastian were sitting under a tree near the side of the lake. The two boys are already joking with one another if the way Sam is laughing is any evidence.

“Hey!” Abigail calls cheerfully, lifting the picnic basket over her head. Sam waves back energetically, while Sebastian just leans back against the tree.

“You two are late!” Sam says reproachfully when they get into earshot. He frowns at them. “I’m hungry – you weren’t wasting time making out, were you?”

“No,” Abigail says, rolling her eyes. “I was just making sure that all of the food was good. And I know that you’ll appreciate this.” She sets the picnic basket down and opens the lid. Razen can almost see Sam start salivating when the delicious aroma wafts from the basket.

“Freshly made pizza!” Sam cheers.

“You spoil him,” Sebastian says wryly, but he leans forward to steal a piece before Sam inhales it all.

“I thought that was the point of today?” Razen asks him.

“Ah, our grand tradition,” Sebastian says, a slight smile gracing his features. “At the beginning of the second week of spring, we all come out here and have a picnic. It used to be how we celebrated before going back to school. Now, I suppose that we continue the tradition out of habit.”

“Don’t be silly,” Abigail scolds him. “We continue it because it’s a great tradition, and a way for us to celebrate! Little enough happens in this valley – we need to make our own events to interest us.”

“True enough,” Sebastian says, and when Abigail pulls out a container of warm pumpkin soup, his eyes go squinty in the way that Razen has learned means that he’s happy but is trying not to show it too openly.

“I have a surprise for you too,” Abigail says to her, and she pulls out a chocolate cake. Her chocolate cake recipe is one of Razen’s favourites, and Razen can’t help but grin at her.

“You didn’t have to!”

“Part of this tradition is that I make everyone’s favourite food,” Abigail informs her.

“Oh yeah, we get cake too?” Sam says through a mouthful of pizza.

Razen digs into the picnic basket to bring out the extra servings of pumpkin soup, and gives one to Abigail before taking the last one herself. Sam asks about the animals, and Razen waves her spoon around as she recounts how the cows got out last week and how she had to run around for most of the morning to round them all up. Even so, they’d broken into Leah’s yard and eaten a few of the plants in her garden. Sam recounts the latest skateboarding trick that he’s mastered, and Abigail teases him, asking why she hasn’t seen it if he’s mastered it. Sebastian gripes about a frustrating customer that he’s having, who has asked him to build a website from scratch but doesn’t seem to realise that it actually takes quite a bit of work to do that. All the while, the birds of the valley sing in the background, and a soft spring breeze blows across the surface of the lake, sending small ripples out across the water. Or maybe there are fish in the lake that are breaching slightly, sensing the warming weather as a sign of the coming summer. Razen takes the movement as a sign that she should starting fishing in the lake again.

With all the food eaten, the four of them lay in different positions across the picnic blanket. Razen strokes Abigail’s hair, since her girlfriend’s head is resting against her stomach. Sam’s snores are soft, and hearing them makes Razen smile.

“Hey, Razen?”

“Yeah?”

Sebastian is still leaning against the tree, and when Razen looks, he’s twirling his spoon around his fingers idly.

“You know, I wasn’t really happy when you came to the valley,” Sebastian admits.

“Really?” Razen asks, after a second has passed and he hasn’t said anything else.

“Yeah,” Sebastian says. “Everything in the valley is predictable. Everyone knows where they belong, what they do. And then you came in and messed up everyone, throwing Lewis into disarray as you repair the old community centre, and bringing Haley closer to everyone, and giving Clint something to do with his time as he figures out how to upgrade all your tools… and taking Abigail away from us, kind of.” He lets out a sigh. “But recently, I think I’ve changed my mind.”

Razen blinks at him. She has to admit that she hadn’t really expected something like this out of him. “How come?”

“Your presence is a disruptor, but you’ve stirred up good things,” Sebastian tells her. “Abigail wasn’t happy with where her life was going, but getting involved with your farm has been good for her. You’ve given a new purpose to many people in the valley – breathed a breath of fresh life into all of us, I think. It’s good.”

Razen smiles at him. “Thanks, Sebastian. I’m glad you think that.”

Sebastian nods firmly. “I do think that. And I’m happy to call you my friend.”

A bird darts into the lake, splashing quietly. Razen looks across the lake, towards the mountains and letting the peace of this place wash over her. It feels strange to think that just a year ago, she was just arriving in the valley after quitting her job. Being here, with her three new friends – it’s more than she could have ever hoped for.

“I’m happy, too,” Razen tells him. “So happy, to call this place my home, and to call you my friend.”

Sebastian smiles at her, one of his rare smiles that she doesn’t see often, and Razen twines her fingers in Abigail’s hair and smiles.


End file.
